Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

The story of Lou Malnati's begins with the broader story of Chicago deep-dish pizza itself, which was reportedly invented in 1943 at Pizzeria Uno, a then-new pizzeria at the corner of Ohio and Wabash in River North. The standard origin story credits Ike Sewell, Pizzeria Uno's founder, with the deep-dish concept; the kitchen execution is generally credited to Rudy Malnati Sr., who managed the pizzeria's kitchen for many years and is widely considered one of the actual originators of the recipe.

Rudy Malnati Sr.'s son Lou Malnati grew up working at Pizzeria Uno alongside his father. By the late 1960s Lou had decided to open his own pizzeria using the family recipe and his own evolving approach to the deep-dish format. The first Lou Malnati's opened in 1971 in Lincolnwood, a Chicago northern suburb. Lou ran the restaurant alongside his wife Jean; the family's commitment to using fresh ingredients, building each pizza to order, and the Buttercrust signature defined the restaurant's identity from opening day.

Lou Malnati died of cancer in 1978 at age 38, leaving Jean to run the business alongside their two sons Marc and Rick (then both teenagers). Marc and Rick took over operations as adults in the 1980s and grew the business from the single Lincolnwood store into the multi-location chain it is today. The family ownership has continued across three generations; Marc and Rick's children are now involved in the business. The Malnati family ethos — quality first, family-run, Chicago-rooted — has remained essentially stable across more than 50 years.

The Lou Malnati's deep-dish pizza is the brand's defining product and the reason most visitors specifically seek out a Lou's meal. The signature build starts with the Buttercrust — a dough enriched with butter (rather than the oil-based dough used by some other deep-dish pizzerias) that bakes to a flaky, golden, almost pastry-like crust around the edges of the deep pan. The Buttercrust is the single most-mentioned distinctive feature in Lou Malnati's reviews and is the operational decision that most defines the brand's identity.

Above the crust, the pizza is layered in the classic Chicago deep-dish sequence: sliced mozzarella directly on the dough (rather than on top of the sauce, which is the inverted thin-crust order), then sausage (Malnati's makes its own Italian sausage in-house using a family recipe), then chunky crushed tomatoes that function as the sauce, and finally a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and dried oregano. The layered construction creates the deep-dish characteristic of cheese-pull-from-the-bottom and a tomato-forward top.

Bake time runs 30 to 45 minutes from order to delivery, which is the operational reality of deep-dish dining and the reason most Lou Malnati's visits begin with an appetizer order at the same time as the pizza order. Standard appetizer options include the house garden salad with Malnati's signature dressing, the bruschetta, mozzarella sticks, and the chicken wings. The salad and the small Chicago-style "pizza bread" appetizer are the consensus picks.

The deep-dish pizza is the obvious headline order, and most first-time visitors should order one — the small (6-inch) or medium (10-inch) size is sufficient for two people if combined with appetizers. Beyond the classic cheese-and-sausage build, the menu includes the Malnati Chicago Classic (the brand's flagship cheese-sausage-tomato build with a layer of extra cheese), the Lou (a sausage-spinach-mushroom-Roma-tomato pie that's a popular non-meat option), and various build-your-own options with available toppings.

The menu also includes thin-crust pizzas (Chicago-style cracker-thin rather than the Neapolitan style most Americans expect), pastas (lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine Alfredo), salads, sandwiches, and Italian-American appetizers. The thin-crust pizzas are well-regarded but most out-of-town visitors specifically come for the deep-dish; ordering thin-crust at a Chicago deep-dish destination is generally considered a missed opportunity.

For dessert, the chocolate chip pizza (a baked cookie dough pie roughly the size and shape of a deep-dish pizza, topped with chocolate chips and served warm) is the signature non-pizza item and is generally worth the indulgence. Standard desserts include cheesecake and Italian gelato. Wine and beer are available; the wine list is modest and the beer selection emphasizes Chicago-area craft brewers alongside standard domestic and Italian options.

The Wells Street flagship is a substantial sit-down restaurant with full service, a large dining room, and a separate bar area. The atmosphere is genuinely Chicago — exposed brick, warm wood, vintage Malnati family photographs on the walls, and the busy energy of a downtown Italian-American family restaurant. The restaurant gets crowded at peak dinner hours (Friday and Saturday evenings, 7-9pm) and frequently has 30 to 60 minute waits during these periods. Reservations are accepted for groups of 8 or more; smaller parties are walk-in only.

For visitors who want the Lou Malnati's experience without the dine-in wait, the restaurant offers takeaway pizza ordering by phone or online with pickup typically available 30 to 45 minutes after order placement. The takeaway pizza maintains essentially the same quality as the dine-in version. Many Chicago hotels offer Lou Malnati's delivery through partner delivery services, which is the standard recommendation for visitors who want deep-dish in the hotel room after a long sightseeing day.

For Route 66 travelers planning to drive westbound the next morning, ordering a Lou Malnati's pizza for takeaway, eating one at the hotel, and shipping a second pizza home via the Tastes of Chicago mail-order program (Lou Malnati's has been shipping flash-frozen pizzas nationwide for several decades) is a popular Chicago souvenir approach. Pizzas arrive frozen, bake at home in roughly 30 minutes, and produce reasonably faithful reproductions of the restaurant experience.

Lou Malnati's Wells Street location combines naturally with a downtown Chicago day. The standard sequence: morning at the Route 66 Begin Sign and the Art Institute on Michigan Avenue, lunch elsewhere in the Loop, afternoon at the Willis Tower Skydeck, an early evening walk north through the Loop and across the Chicago River to River North, and a 6 or 6:30pm dinner at Lou Malnati's. The walking distance from the Begin Sign to Lou Malnati's is about 1.2 miles — comfortable in good weather, or a short rideshare in winter conditions.

For visitors based at a Loop or Magnificent Mile hotel, Lou Malnati's is generally within walking distance or a 5-10 minute rideshare. The restaurant is one of the most consistently recommended Chicago dinner destinations by hotel concierges, particularly for out-of-town visitors who want a definitively Chicago experience. Most concierges will direct guests to either the Wells Street flagship or the Lou Malnati's location nearest to the hotel.

For Route 66 travelers specifically, the natural Chicago food pairing is a Lou Malnati's deep-dish dinner the evening before departure and a Lou Mitchell's breakfast the morning of departure — the two iconic Chicago meals that bookend a Mother Road trip from the eastern terminus. The combination is the unofficial standard for first-day Route 66 itineraries departing from downtown Chicago.